The Days of Great Minds
by Headcaase
Summary: A drabble series, mainly focusing on Hotch and Reid, but also the rest of the BAU team's day to day lives and the challenges and good times they face together. Can be taken as H/R pre-slash, but is still friendly to those who do not care for the pairing.
1. Dust

**A/N: **Welcome! This is the new drabble series I'm writing about the BAU team, which will mostly be centering around our two favorite boys, Hotch and Reid. I don't think there will be a proper ending to these any time soon, as I'll probably just keep adding them whenever I feel like. So enjoy!

**Warnings: **A bit of swearing here and there, possible suggestible themes, and pre-slash. Meaning that even though there might be implied inklings of slash, that it's still safe to read even if you don't like the pairing.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Criminal Minds, or any of the characters this story contains.

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><p><span>The Days of Great Minds: Dust<span>

"Aa-aaa-…_ACHOO!_" Reid sneezed unceremoniously, as the dust from a twenty year old case file rose thickly into the air.

Morgan and Prentiss snorted and bit back their laughter at the sight of the genius waving his hands frantically in front of his face, desperate to protect his sensitive nostrils. Several rows down in the file archive room; Rossi and Hotch were smiling and shaking their heads, thoroughly entertained as Reid continued to flail about.

The team had been assigned (by Strauss) to document old case files that had yet to be put into the system, resulting in three annoyed agents, an excited genius, and a frustrated Unit Chief. Though it seemed as though the tables had turned, and everyone but Reid were biting back smiles at the sight of the youngest agent sneezing up a storm and trying to avoid the large clouds of twenty year old dust particles.

"This is ridiculous," Reid scowled, snatching a tissue from a snickering Prentiss and furiously blowing his nose, "why haven't these been taken out of storage yet? They're probably carrying around some deadly mold or disease by now!" He exclaimed to his fellow colleagues, who were shaking with laughter by now.

"I thought you were _so excited_to dig up these ancient things, pretty boy!" Morgan teased, as Reid covered his mouth with the tissue and coughed rather pathetically.

"I am! I'm just not very fond of toxic dust clouds!" He exclaimed, rubbing his nose and itchy eyes, annoyed that the rest of the team were not even slightly bothered by the layers of old dust and cobwebs.

Hotch rolled his eyes, though the slight smile never left his face. He picked up two boxes full of cases and made his way through the musky aisles, careful not to bump into anything, "Come on, Reid. Let's get you out of here before you start to convulse and suffocate, the two of us can start sorting these in my office."

Reid pouted at Hotch's joke while the others giggled like middle schoolers, but quickly followed the elder agent out of the room and up to his office. He did not want to be subjected to any more of the filth that caused his allergies.

Once they entered Hotch's private office, they placed the filing boxes on the floor and began to dig through them. Reid was overjoyed that he didn't recall some of the cases, and was eagerly soaking up all of the knowledge the old notes and reports had to give him. He was perfectly content…until Hotch opened up a new box, and a new formation of dust rose into the air and blasted Reid in the face.

"_AAACHOOO!" _He wheezed and coughed, having inhaled the pesky particles into his lungs as well as his nasal cavity.

The papers that Reid had been looking at flew everywhere as the young genius uncontrollably sneezed again. Hotch looked up from his desk, surprised to find that it was raining paper. He raised an eyebrow and glanced at Reid fondly, with further amusement dancing in his dark eyes.

Suddenly JJ and Garcia came flying into the room, "What on earth was that noise?" JJ and Garcia inquired, both confused as to why papers were scattered all over Hotch's office, and why Spencer was looking startled and a bit red in the face.

"Spencer is allergic to the dust that's all over these files," Hotch snorted, as Reid blushed and began scrambling for all of the papers he had dropped.

"…it sounded like a bomb went off, and you mean to tell us that it was Reid sneezing?" Garcia asked, raising an eyebrow rather skeptically.

"Oh come on, you are completely over exaggerating!" Reid said from somewhere on the floor.

"No, no," Hotch chuckled at his subordinate, as he ruffled the boy's long hair, "she's not over exaggerating too much; it did sound a bit like a bomb going off."

Reid rolled his eyes, his retrieved papers folded protectively to his chest, "Yeah, well I think you guys are full of it…aa-….aaa_ACHOOO!_" He sneezed, causing papers to explode everywhere around the office yet again, leaving Garcia, JJ, and Hotch howling with laughter.

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><p><em>Just something silly for now. Review? If enough people like it, I'll start adding a lot more! <em>


	2. Worry

**A/N: **Second drabble, this one is more serious and actually centers more on Rossi which I really wasn't expecting when I started writing this one, it just kind of turned out that way. Oh and start sending me prompts! (Preferably one or two word prompts such as 'Dust' or 'Worry'). They're what I base the drabbles off of. Don't forget to **REVIEW!**

**Warnings: **None in this chapter, just a bit of angst and it mainly centers around Rossi.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Criminal Minds or any of the characters written about in these drabbles, and in no way take ownership of them.

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><p><span>The Days of Great Minds: Worry<span>

David Rossi stood silently in the doorway of his private office, looking out over the bullpen of the BAU and stirring a cup of coffee. He was lost in thought again, like so many other times when the team was just doing case file work back at their home base.

To this day, he still couldn't believe that he had come out of retirement to pursue the job that haunted him every day of his life. David had already seen so much in his lifetime, so much death, evil and pain. But for once, the horrors of his work were not what he was focused on.

He took a sip of coffee, the taste knocking him back into reality, though his mind still lingered on the thoughts he had been mulling over.

The office was alive and buzzing with activity, phones were ringing, people were busying themselves about and typing on their computers. It seemed pretty normal, but Rossi's attention was set on a specific group of people.

"Victory!" Reid shouts.

"Oh come _on_, pretty boy!" Morgan yelled, "Didn't your mom ever teach you that cheating was wrong?"

Rossi heard a chorus of all too familiar laughter, and smiled as he gazed down at Reid, Garcia, Morgan, Prentiss, and JJ.

"That's my baby!" Garcia cheered, squeezing Reid affectionately around the shoulders and shielding him from Morgan, who kept trying to slug Spencer in the shoulder.

"Haven't you learned not to play against him by now, Morgan?" JJ snorts, leaning against Prentiss' desk.

"I don't think he'll stop until he beats him," Emily says, before whispering to JJ and Garcia, "but like that will ever happen."

The three women plus Reid laugh, David watching in amusement as Morgan slumps down in his chair and glares at the four of them. He can't help but smile, and recall never seeing such bright, lively and eager agents before he had returned to the BAU. Every single one of them was amazing, and had already gone very far in their young lives.

Rossi, the legendary David Rossi, known as a self absorbed loner, was proud and honored to be able to work with such brilliant people.

"Everything alright, Dave?" Hotch asks, stepping out of his office, and joining Rossi by his side to look over the team.

Rossi nods, smiling, "Yes actually. For once, everything seems…perfect, balance restored for the time being."

Hotch chuckles, and rests his arms against the railing around the edge of the bullpen, watching his agents, "You're right, everyone seems content. The team, the office, and even the rest of the world seem to be calm right now."

Rossi doesn't reply, he just nods again and drinks some more of his coffee. He and Hotch stand there in silence for a few minutes, continuing to study their team mates until David glances over at Aaron.

"They're all an incredible bunch, aren't they?" Rossi remarks, causing the Unit Chief to crack a welcomed smile.

"Yes. I've always been so proud of them, they're my family…they always were," He says quietly, glancing over each one of the team members as they continued with their shenanigans, before smiling softly at the senior agent, "I couldn't have asked for a better group of people."

Suddenly the two of them are interrupted by their friends.

"Hey Hotch, why don't you come over here and teach the genius how to play fair, huh?" Morgan calls over to Aaron, the group beckoning the two elder agents to join them.

"Perhaps we could take him to the gym and knock him around a little." Hotch grins, causing Reid to blush and duck his head to hide away from Morgan.

"We'll protect you!" The girls chorused while forming a protective barrier, much to Reid's embarrassment, around his desk.

Rossi chuckles at their antics and takes another swig of his coffee, pretending not to notice Aaron looking fondly at his agents. David also admires Aaron, whose fierce loyalty to his team makes Rossi wish he had been that way back when he had started at the bureau.

"What're you thinking about, Aaron?" He asks, not taking his eyes off their group of agents, who were now picking up another card game.

"I just…I worry." Hotch says quietly, his eyes beginning to harden again at the mention of his troubled thoughts.

The cup of coffee in David's hand has cooled to something a little unpleasant, just like the conversation and he grimaces as he takes another taste, "And what is it that you worry about?" But Rossi already knows the answer to that question, he just wants Hotch to speak for himself.

Hotch softly clears his throat, and tears his gaze away from the cheerful spectacle of their team to look Rossi in the eye, "I worry that someday I'm going to lose one of them. I know it'll happen, eventually I'll lose all of them…but I just don't want it to be too soon, I don't want it to catch me off guard." He shook his head and stared down at the floor, upset that he had soured the good mood of the day.

"Aaron…" Rossi says, throwing away his half-finished cup of coffee in a nearby trash can, and then giving Hotch a sympathetic look, "I don't know what to tell you, I've seen a lot of my team mates come and go. I've seen some of them die, and I'm still in touch with ones that are alive…all I have to say I guess, is no matter what happens, you'll always be caught off guard even if you saw it coming."

Hotch stares back at Rossi, his dark-eyed gaze and 'Unit Chief' demeanor back to the way it was before. All he does is nod, and walk back into his office without saying another word.

David sighs, knowing he's gotten Hotch back into soaking in his dark thoughts and there's nothing more he can do about it. Instead of pursuing the matter further, he decides to let it be and goes to join the rest of the team for a quick game of cards.

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><p><em>Reviews make me really happy and encourage me to write more. And why you're reviewing, send me some prompts! <em>


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